Z: I hope you woke up with a hot chef in bed next to you, you deserve fantastic sex on the first date.
Nicole considered leaving the text on read. She hadn’t been able to sleep until after three, which caused her to oversleep. Now she had ten minutes to get out the door for work. She wished she was running late because she’d had sex with Sean the night before. The truth was so sad in comparison. Her throat tightened and her eyes began to fill with tears. She was just so tired. Why did everything have to be so hard?
She shouldn’t have tried. She was much better off being alone. She had friends, a job she loved, and she was currently in great health. A life partner just wasn’t in the cards for her. One thing she’d learned during cancer treatment was no matter how shitty she felt physically or mentally, or how painful life might be, she only had two choices, and one was to die. This was small potatoes compared to when Duncan left. This was nothing compared to having to tell her mom she had breast cancer. This was a little blip. She tried a date, and it didn’t work out. Onward.
Bolstered by her thoughts, she replied to the group chat.
NIC: It was Ok, I don’t think there will be a second date. (shrug emoji)
Z: Oh nooo! This won’t do Nic! Mike is working late so I’m free, Dev do you have time tonight?
DEV: Councilman Sanchez is having a town hall meeting, I said I’d attend, but I should be done by eight?
Z: Nic, mind if we come over? I’ll bring that hard cider you like…
Nicole thought about her answer as she finished walking to work. She didn’t know if she wanted to rehash the date with Sean; but at the same time, she did value what her friends had to say. Without them, she’d literally be dead. She sat down on the steps of one of the playground slides and texted back.
NIC: Sure, any excuse to see my besties- xoxo
With that decided, she put her phone in her purse and headed into work where she would hopefully spend the day not thinking about Sean. Who was she kidding? She took a deep breath, buzzed herself into the school where the halls were filled with small kids and loud voices.
***
SEAN
Wednesday was half-price buttermilk brined fried chicken night at Jesse’s Pub. The special was for dine-in only, and that meant Jesse’s was packed from the moment they opened at four p.m. until they closed at ten p.m. when the last couple paid their bill. Those senior citizens sure love a special. Sean loved Wednesday because he never had waitstaff calling off on that day. There wasn’t a restaurant nearby that could compete with the load of tips they all brought home Wednesday nights. Plus, Sean always made a few extra batches of his chicken for the staff to take home after work. It was delicious cold the next day and they could use it for chicken salad.
This Wednesday, however, Sean found himself in a bit of a mood. That mood had a name, and it was ‘what the heck Nicole’. Sean began pulling out the tubs of chicken that had been brining overnight in the cooler. He set them on the counter by the sink and pulled out an industrial sized strainer. Carefully, he began dumping the tubs into the strainer while his mind tried to figure things out.
It all had been going so well! He hadn’t laughed so much in years. She seemed so open and interested. He knew he wasn’t imagining their connection. True, she wasn’t as into him as he was into her, but he knew she felt the spark, and then—Poof! She was cold. He’d tossed and turned all night trying to figure out if it was something he’d said, but he’d come up with nothing.
He pulled out his tongs and trays. He added eggs to the first tray and whisked them, then he added flour to the second along with his special seasoning blend of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. In the last tray he added pulverized salt and vinegar chips—his secret ingredient. Working quickly, he began breading twelve dozen pieces of chicken to start. The two sides that accompanied the half-off chicken special, cole slaw andpotato salad had been prepped the day before and were sitting in the cooler ready for portioning out.
His phone chimed: he looked at his watch and saw a text from Jasper.
JASPER: You’re still coming out tomorrow night, right?
Sean finished breading the chicken and then took off his gloves to answer Jasper.
SEAN: Of course. What time you want me there?
JASPER: Trivia starts at seven, how much time do you need to set up?
SEAN: I’ll be there by five, you know how I am.
JASPER: Yes, I do, very anal.
SEAN: I’m meticulous.
JASPER: Yes uptight. You need to get laid. Speaking of, word on the street is you were seen with a woman at Common Grounds.
SEAN: I am in the middle of prepping for our busiest night of the week, I don’t have time for this nonsense.
JASPER: Ah ha! Then it is true, you had a date, when were you going to tell me about it?
SEAN: Nothing to tell.
JASPER: Oh I beg to differ my friend. We’ll discuss—tomorrow over beers like men do.
